December 27, 2009, 23:30
David AbbePerry Howard you are a double winner!
Last week I offered this "ol watch" for someone to bid on! I did note that it had a kinda neat 4 piece case.
December 27, 2009, 23:31
David AbbeSO Perry Howard who just joined us this month took heed of Lindell's warning (no doubt) that good deals abound on IHC 185 auctions, and "won this beast"!
December 27, 2009, 23:34
David Abbeand Perry entrusted me with my offer to clean it up and check it out. Well . . . guess what! Perry you are the winner of a rare and beautiful early railroad grade fully adjusted rare cased Elgin Grade 116 that not only cleaned up beautifully . . .
December 27, 2009, 23:35
David Abbeand runs perfect! . . . . BUT
December 27, 2009, 23:39
David AbbeIt has a fully functioning STOP WORKS MAINSPRING! So Perry you have a doubly rare watch indeed! Judging from the 24 Service marks on the original case, I am sure (

) this beauty STARTED A WHOLE LOTTA TRAINS!
December 28, 2009, 13:41
David AbbePerry just a "FYI", the stopworks is one of the Swiss "Geneva Mechanisms" invented originally to control movement cyclically and then applied to Fusee watches to maintain chain tension necessary for those movements. Later it was found that stopworks also helped "improve" time accuracy by assuring the watch mainspring tension was high enough for good operation and also to protect the fully wound watch from being dangerously "locked up" at the full wind position which could cause a disastrous mainspring shrink breakage if the watch was chilled suddenly after winding.
December 28, 2009, 13:47
Mark CrossYou are a lucky man, Perry.
Had this watch not been offered at Christmas time, it would have been mine or there would have been a good fight for it on my part.
I love these big old Elgins, and this one is interesting enough to have even brought me to the table. I looked at it long and hard several times, but every time I reach for the 'bid' key, I remembered I still had some gifts to pick up for the family. Ah well.
Congratulations!
Regards! Mark